Saleswomen out there, when was the last time you watched a Jim Carey or Adam Sandler movie because your husband “convinced” you that it would be good? Guys, when was the last time you watched The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills because your girlfriend said it was quality TV? How about . . . never?
When was the last time your friend swayed you to appreciate and embrace her political views by espousing virtue after virtue of a politician that you cannot stand? How often do you cave in and buy the windows, or exterior painting, or lawn fertilizer, or new roof, or window washing that the door-to-door salespeople are selling (despite the NO SOLICITING sign that they practically trip over to get to your front door)? Uh, zero times.
Why is that?
Could it be that convincing does not work? It does not work in your personal life and it certainly does not work in sales. But they keep trying. And trying.
Think about our culture, our society. We are living in a time when most people will fight you just to spite you. They will disagree with you for the sport of it. If it is not their idea, it is not a good idea. How many times do you say, “it is a nice day outside,” and at least one person in your office says it is cloudy, or too cold, or not as nice as yesterday? It is our culture. People are dying to get their needs met – to be right. It stinks, but we cannot do a thing about it.
Instead, we should play to it. Play to their tendencies and expect them to disagree. Psychiatrists have been doing it for years – it is how they gather all the information on their patients. Child psychology is a picture-perfect example of this. Child psychology does not suggest that you convince. In fact, child psychology suggests that you go the opposite direction (on purpose) and have the child come to your way of thinking.
If you think these tendencies and motivations leave you when you exit childhood you are wrong. You know what happens when you try to “convince” people to your way of thinking. They fight you. This is what has helped make reality TV so popular – that is all they do on most reality TV shows (disagree, fight, bad-mouth, stab each other in the back – now that is entertainment!)
If you want to be successful in sales stop convincing. Go the opposite. Take it away from them. Pull back. Look at convincing in the same way you look at pushing a rope up hill – won’t work. Take it away and pull back – like pulling a rope down-hill – that is easy.
5 Reasons Convincing Does not Work in Sales
- Most people (especially in sales) will fight you just to spite you (they “buy the fight” for the sport of it)
- Convincing is hard. Takes too much work. Too many facts. Too much talking (like pushing a rope up hill)
- When you convince you are probably saying the exact same thing all your competitors are saying (where’s the value in that?)
- Convincing makes it all about you. Selling should be all about the prospect or customer
- Think about it… do you like it when people try to convince you to do things? (didn’t think so)
Enough of this, there has to be a good Adam Sandler or Jim Carey movie on!
